Editorial: A big week for Easthampton

Daily Hampshire Gazette: We’ve heard Easthampton is an “up-and-coming city” for some time now, and two big developments this week further cemented that viewpoint.

First, on Wednesday, the City Council capped off two years of hearty discussion by unanimously adopting an ordinance that declares Easthampton a “welcoming community,” joining other communities across the region and nation to make a point of welcoming all residents regardless of immigration status.

Then a day later, some exciting news broke on the business front when River Valley Co-op, the successful Northampton-based shopper-owned grocery store, announced that it had raised more than $5 million toward development of its long-planned Easthampton store on busy Route 10.

These initiatives come on the heels of several other developments in this city of 16,000. Among those are plans to construct a long-overdue $109 million pre-kindergarten-through-8th grade school; a $45 million redevelopment of a 310,000-square-foot mill complex at 1 Ferry St. into 152 housing units and office space; adoption of a Community Relations Committee tasked with creating a greater sense of unity in the city; and creation of a strategic plan for downtown based on input from residents and business owners. Read more.